Freeman Technology

Name

Freeman Technology

Legal name

Freeman Technology Ltd

Website

https://freemantech.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Instrumentation - Powder Characterization

NAICS

Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro primary industry

Materials R&D & Characterization (Powder/Resin Development, Testing) (IMAAAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Calibration, Metrology & QA Consumables (Calibration Artifacts, Test Coupons, Gauge Tools) (IMAAAIAG)

Keywords

• Powder flow testing
• Powder rheology
• Powder characterization
• Powder rheometer
• Bulk powder measurement

Headquarters

HQ city

Tewkesbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Instrument Sales (FT4 Powder Rheometer): Sale of the FT4 Powder Rheometer universal powder tester, the company's flagship product. The instrument is sold directly and through distributors globally.
2. Software and Accessories: Sales of software packages (hopper design software, multi-language software) and accessories (uniaxial tester, wall friction modules, cosmetics testing kits).
3. Service and Support: Technical support, applications assistance, training, and installation services provided alongside instrument sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Freeman Technology designs, manufactures, and sells the FT4 Powder Rheometer, a universal powder flow tester that combines patented dynamic methodology, a fully automated shear cell, and bulk property tests (density, compressibility, permeability) to quantify powder flow and processability. The company also sells complementary accessories such as the Uniaxial Tester and cosmetics testing modules, dedicated software such as the Hopper Design Software, and reference standards, and it provides technical support, applications assistance, training, and installation services alongside instrument sales.

Product overview

Freeman Technology offers a focused product portfolio centered on the FT4 Powder Rheometer®, a universal powder flow tester. The flagship instrument combines dynamic methodology, automated shear cell testing, and bulk property measurements (density, compressibility, permeability) to comprehensively characterize powder flow properties. The company extends the FT4's capabilities through specialized accessories including a Uniaxial Tester for measuring unconfined yield strength, cosmetics testing accessories (hardness tester and payoff tester), and dedicated Hopper Design Software. Freeman Technology also provides multi-language software support (English, French, German, Spanish) and reference standards (CRM116/BCR116 limestone) for instrument calibration. As a Micromeritics company, Freeman Technology additionally distributes Micromeritics products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FT4 Powder Rheometer: The flagship universal powder flow tester product line for measuring and understanding powder flow and powder behaviour.

Products and services

• FT4 Powder Rheometer Universal powder flow tester that uses patented dynamic methodology, a fully automated shear cell (compliant with ASTM D7891), and bulk property tests (density, compressibility, permeability) to quantify powder properties in terms of flow and processability. Used by R&D, formulation, scale-up, manufacturing, quality control, and troubleshooting teams handling powders.
• Uniaxial Tester for FT4 Powder Rheometer Accessory for the FT4 Powder Rheometer that measures the force required to fracture a column of consolidated powder, identifying unconfined yield strength related to cohesivity with improved repeatability compared with shear-test-derived data.
• Cosmetics Testing Accessories for FT4 (Hardness Tester and Payoff Tester) FT4 accessories for cosmetics manufacturing: a hardness tester measuring strength of powder compacts and an automatic payoff tester measuring ease of powder transfer from compact to applicator.
• Hopper Design Software for FT4 Software that demystifies hopper design, guiding users step-by-step through powder measurement, data analysis and equipment specification to support powder processing equipment sizing.
• Multi-language FT4 Software (French, German, Spanish) FT4 Powder Rheometer software available in French, German and Spanish, along with multi-language versions of the FT4 User Manual, to support international users.
• Reference Standard CRM116/BCR116 A stable fine limestone reference material enabling users to verify the long-term performance of the FT4 Powder Rheometer in line with their own laboratory practices.
• Service, Applications Support and Training Technical support, applications assistance, training, and installation services provided alongside FT4 Powder Rheometer sales to help users with powder handling, process troubleshooting, and QbD implementation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Savings of 50-100 times the cost of the instrument through throughput gains in powder processing
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Micromeritics Instrument CorporationcoreOthers · 1 January 2018Freeman Technology became part of Micromeritics Instrument Corporation in 2018. Micromeritics is a leading provider of materials characterization instruments. Freeman Technology maintains its own brand and operations while benefiting from the parent company's resources and distribution network.
• Particle Technology Labs Ltd (PTL)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPTL provides commercial powder characterization services using the FT4 in North America. The service was introduced at Pittcon 2005 and has grown significantly. PTL operates as a reference site for the FT4 and works closely with Freeman Technology on data interpretation and customer support.
• C-Therm TechnologiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFreeman Technology and C-Therm co-presented workshops on 'Powder Flow & Process Analytical Technology - Tools for Implementation of QbD' at AAPS Annual Meetings. Combined thermal effusivity and powder rheology expertise for pharmaceutical QbD implementation.
• GerickeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFreeman Technology co-sponsors pharmaceutical powder processing courses with Gericke (powder handling equipment supplier). Tim Freeman has presented at Gericke Powder Handling & Processing seminars alongside their technical team.
• Glatt Air TechniquesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFreeman Technology co-sponsors courses on 'Blending and Flow of Pharmaceutical Powders' and 'Advances in Pharmaceutical Process Design' with Glatt Air Techniques.
• Mixing Consultants Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMixing Consultants Inc. organizes pharmaceutical powder processing courses where Freeman Technology participates as expert presenter alongside academics from Rutgers University and other industry specialists.
• Engineering Research Center for Structured Organic Particulate Systems (ERC-SOPS/C-SOPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFreeman Technology joined the ERC-SOPS collaborative research program in 2010. The program brings together engineers, scientists and industry leaders from Rutgers, Purdue, NJIT, and Universidad de Puerto Rico to improve pharmaceutical, food and agriculture manufacturing. Tim Freeman serves as a mentor on project groups.
• GEA Pharma SystemscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research project between Freeman Technology and GEA to support continuous tablet manufacturing process development. Focus on identifying metrics for effective control of continuous manufacturing using the FT4 and GEA's ConsiGma continuous granulation unit.
• Gerteis Maschinen + Processengineering AGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint study to demonstrate how the FT4 can be used for roller compaction process optimization. Gerteis is a leading provider of roller compactors.
• Harro HöfligerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative development project to address challenges of specifying low-friction materials of construction for pharmaceutical powder processing equipment using the FT4 to test wall friction properties.
• DKSH TechnologyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDKSH hosted powder characterization seminars with Freeman Technology in China, including events at ZTE Hotel Shanghai.
• Copley ScientificminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint workshop on powder characterisation and inhaler testing organized with Copley Scientific (inhaler testing equipment provider) and Monash University in Australia.
• Monash UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research collaboration on dry powder inhaler formulation using the FT4. Dr David Morton's team has published work on mechanofusion coating techniques for lactose excipients.
• University of BathminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration demonstrating correlation between FT4 dynamic powder properties and fine particle dose in dry powder inhalers. Dr Jag Shur's team has published multiple studies using the FT4.
• De Montfort UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research study by Dr Reza Baserinia demonstrating how FT4 powder properties correlate with mechanical characteristics of SLS-printed polyamide samples.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Anton Paar: Anton Paar manufactures rheometers and particle characterization instruments used to measure flow and mechanical behavior of materials, including powders and suspensions. Its rheometry portfolio overlaps with the FT4's shear and dynamic powder testing capabilities across pharma, food, and materials R&D.
• Brookfield Engineering (AMETEK): Brookfield Engineering, part of AMETEK, supplies viscometers, rheometers, and texture analyzers for laboratory and process applications. It serves overlapping customers measuring material flow properties and competes in powder/granular rheology and related pharmaceutical characterization.
• Jenike & Johanson: Jenike & Johanson is an engineering consultancy and test instrument provider specializing in powder and bulk solids flow, including shear testing (Johanson Indicizer). It competes directly with Freeman in characterizing bulk powder flow behavior for design and troubleshooting.
• Hosokawa Micron: Hosokawa Micron manufactures powder and particle processing equipment and characterization instruments, including powder testers used for evaluating flow behavior in industrial applications. It is a direct comparable in powder testing technology for pharmaceutical, chemical, and food processing.
• Granutools: Granutools is a specialist manufacturer of powder flow and compaction testers (e.g., GranuPack, GranuDrum) targeting the same R&D and quality-control use cases as the FT4. It is a focused emerging direct competitor in granular material characterization.
• Malvern Panalytical: Malvern Panalytical (a Spectris company) supplies particle size, shape, and rheology instrumentation widely used in pharmaceutical and additive manufacturing powder characterization. It competes most directly with Freeman in characterizing powder behavior for process development.

Broad incumbents

• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Materials & Structural Analysis): Thermo Fisher's Materials and Structural Analysis division offers a broad suite of laboratory characterization instruments (rheometers, particle analyzers, thermal analyzers). It does not specialize in powder flow but competes for the same characterization budget at large industrial and academic customers.
• Schenck Process: Schenck Process provides bulk material handling and processing equipment, including inline powder testing and feeding technology for industrial applications. It overlaps with Freeman's powder flow focus across industrial-scale pharmaceutical, chemical, and food processing customers.
• Micromeritics Instrument Corporation: Micromeritics is Freeman Technology's parent company and a leading provider of materials characterization instruments (particle size, surface area, porosity). It overlaps with Freeman in serving the same pharma, chemicals, and advanced materials customers with complementary (not identical) instrumentation.

Emerging players

• Sotax: Sotax supplies pharmaceutical testing equipment for solid dosage form development and quality control, including tablet testing and dissolution. It overlaps with Freeman in serving pharmaceutical formulation and powder characterization labs, though its core products are downstream of pure powder flow testing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FreemanTech

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Freeman Technology